The Cosby Show: Season 4
Starring: Joseph C. PhillipsStudio: Urban Works
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Running Time: 528 minutes
DVD Release: June 5th 2007
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DVD Review
The Cosby Show appeared on NBC from 1984 to 1992 becoming one of the most popular programs in the history of television. The Cosby Show depicted a close-knit and prosperous African-American family (The Huxtables) that dwelled in New York City. Dr. Heathcliff (OB-GYN) and Clair (attorney) Huxtable were a happily married dual-profession couple with aspirations of raising their 5 children in an uplifting positive environment. The Cosby Show held TV's #1 slot for a record 5 consecutive years (1985 to 1990) and stayed in the Top 20 shows for all eight seasons it was on NBC.System Requirements:Running Time: 528 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 634991331890 Manufacturer No: 33189-7
User Reviews
Transitional Period - Rating: 5/5
In retrospect, this is one of the more interesting seasons. When the show begins, we notice one person missing from the original cast, Lisa Bonet. (She only appears in picture form during the title sequence.) Where has she gone? Off to the west coast set of A Different World for the popular spin-off's first season. Dear Lisa would only appear as a guest star on two new episodes, "Shakespere" and "Home for the Weekend." (That doesn't include the fantastic slection of previous footage illuded to in the 2-part "Looking Back" collage.)
Instead of seeing Lisa, we witness the introduction of Geoffrey Owens to the regular cast, portraying Elvin Tibbadeaux, who is now married to the oldest Huxtable child, Sondra. They've decided not to pursue their previous career interests and devote themselves to running their own wilderness supply store. This venture presents a recurring topic throughout this season, as well as the first season of A Different World.
Meanwhile, the Huxtable ship keeps sailing with Theo completing his turbulent high school career, Vanessa's boyfriend list expanding, Rudy wanting to wear the wrong clothes and Cliff losing his memory. Among the celebrity guest stars are Christopher Plummer, Adam Sandler (as a recurring character) and Wallice Shaun (also recurring). [Of course, we also have Adam saying, "When Roxanne finds out there's no helicoptor, she is gonna - " what's the word " - plotz!"
cosby show season 4 - Rating: 5/5
my family has enjoyed each of the first four seasons. i had forgotten how funny the show were and unlike other shows/movies i enjoyed "before children", i haven't been surprised to find any topics or words that i didn't want my kids to watch.
Always A Pleasure to See Cosby - Rating: 4/5
Because I'd seen so many of these episodes so many times, I started to skip through them and just watch the ones I really enjoyed. On this DVD, I was pleasantly surprised to see what I believe is the ONLY episode of the Cosby Show that I'd never seen, and how fitting of it to be about a book club. "Bookworm" was my favorite episode on the entire DVD, and I rewatched it so I could laugh at Cosby's secret at the book club meeting, especially when he rolled his eyes after giving a page number. Classic! However, I was dead tired and bored to tears with the "Shakespeare" episode. I don't know why the writers thought enacting scenes from "Shakespeare" would make a good episode. I couldn't stand reading the stuff in high school and college (and I did understand it), so I definitely didn't want to see it on a show that I did enjoy. I thought "The Locker Room" was an interesting episode because it didn't end the way I expected it to, but it was extremely true to reality. This was a pretty good season. I liked the ones when Rudy was older much better, and this season makes me wish "A Different World: Season 2" would resurface, so I can buy it. This was around the time when I would be rushing for the "Cosby Show" to be over with, so "A Different World" could come on. Man, I miss my childhood!
Almost as good as it gets - Rating: 5/5
I'd like to thank the producers of this DVD. I grew up with the Cosby show and it's very nice to see all the episodes again on DVD.
Even years later it's still one of the best comedy shows out there.
I just wish there were some bonus material and I'm still waiting for a re-release of the first season on DVD which was cut on the first release.
Uh-Oh, the Kids Aren't So Funny Any More - Rating: 2/5
Season 4 is where the Cosby Show "jumps the shark" and loses its focus. A show where the dad was determined to maintain his authority (along with his wife) in order to teach the kids turns into a bad version of The Brady Bunch.
The character of Rudy, so cute in Season 1, and a little cute in Season 2, is more annoying (in a bratty, precocious sort of way) than anything else in Season 4. Denise is gone (spun off to Different World, but also out of the cast because actress Lisa Bonet had lost favor with Cosby himself, and rightly so); Theo has finally grown out of his cracked voice funniness and is not yet funny as a man; the underused and underappreciated subtlety of Vanessa has been replaced by a misguided attempt at glamorizing her character; and extremely funny Elvin with the passable Sondra are consistently underused.
One example says it all for me: In "Home for the Weekend," Denise basically stiffs her family to hang out and party all night long with friends. Instead of the parents pulling rank as they always do and teaching Denise that she still owes her family loyalty and time, they do a sitcom prank of ignoring her, then avoid any confrontation at all by giving in. The writing is thin this time around, perhaps because several of the creative staff were either shifted to or doubling up on Different World. There's not nearly enough of Cliff and Claire as a couple, always a great feature. And Cliff and his father need to be in more episodes together.
Formula plots the show did well before are full of missed opportunities. And the show seems to let Theo show off his body inappropriately in one episode (what on earth is he doing in a towel (no pants!) with two older women in "Water Works"? And why doesn't Cliff come down harder on him for it? The firm and benign teaching we counted on from Cliff and Claire is replaced by silly sitcom banter.
I don't remember later seasons all that well, but I hope they found their way back to the things that made the show great--the parenting, Cliff and Claire, the extended family, and Vanessa and Theo being funny, but maybe those two hit the child actor wall this year and didn't get it back. Rudy is beyond saving by Season 4--why is she so relentlessly bratty? Vanessa and Theo are my favorite kids, and while Theo tries to show some range in Season 4, it doesn't always work. Plus, just give me more Cosby doing his shtick!
Also, two episodes given over to guest stars just don't work--one with Bill Irwin (an entire show set in a broken down vaudeville revue) and one called "Drum Major." What were they thinking?
I do recall there's more with Elvin and Sondra later, and Elvin is just plain funny, so let's look out for those in the future. Shows with kids as stars are hard to keep fresh when the kids change and lose their cuteness, and that's what seems to be happening here. Too bad--but Seasons 1 and 2 are still great fun, along with most of Season 3 (although the absence of Claire for one-third of the episodes due to Phylicia Rashad's maternity situation really hurt Season 3).
As for the lack of extras, that's been a consistent failing of the DVDs of this show, and it's probably not going to change. Why there were no commentaries from the cast at any point in this DVD series, and zero participation from Dr. Cosby or Ms. Rashad would be interesting to learn, but I'm guessing it's cheapness on the distribution end, something which has plagued many other DVD sets of quality shows.
